The Midbrain Periaqueductal Gray Control of Respiration

The midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) organizes basic survival behavior, which includes respiration. How the PAG controls respiration is not known. We studied the PAG control of respiration by injecting d,l-homocysteic acid in the PAG in unanesthetized precollicularly decerebrated cats. Injections in different parts of the PAG caused different respiratory effects. Stimulation in the dorsomedial PAG induced slow and deep breathing and dyspnea. Stimulation in the dorsolateral PAG resulted in active breathing and tachypnea consistent with the respiratory changes during fright and flight. Stimulation in the medial part of lateral PAG caused inspiratory apneusis. Stimulation in lateral parts of the lateral and ventrolateral PAG produced respiratory changes associated with vocalization (mews, alternating mews and hisses, or hisses). d,l-Homocysteic acid injections in the caudal ventrolateral PAG induced irregular breathing. These results demonstrate that the PAG exerts a strong influence on respiration, suggesting that it serves as the behavioral modulator of breathing.

• Publication year

  2008

• Venue

  Journal of Neuroscience

• Publication date

  2008-11-19

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Chemistry

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4168-08.2008PMID 19020021PMCID PMC6671706
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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